Turkey Talk for 2014

[lbrykowski2011]

Sorry about all the questions,lol How do you know when their ready? Are there signs or specific weights u want to get to for diff breeds? I'm pretty sure 1 is a tom and not sure on the other. At what age, if i post a pic, is it pretty easy to tell the sex of them?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Sorry about all the questions,lol  How do you know when their ready? Are there signs or specific weights u want to get to for diff breeds? I'm pretty sure 1 is a tom and not sure on the other. At what age, if i post a pic, is it pretty easy to tell the sex of them?

You just butcher when they are as big as you want them. I would just feel the breast on mine & when she was good & meaty she was ready. There's really no set age or weight to butcher. You just have to watch the legs on broad breasted especially because weak legs will make them collapse & have to be butchered sooner.

 

[BullChick]

Quote:
Exactly!
As for the bedding, I did it because we had had a lot of rain, they were sleeping on the ground, and it was so cold the last few nights. They said thank you by choosing that corner to sleep in. If yours are sleeping on the roost, no bedding is fine.
And this site is for learning. Ask all the questions, you need to (or want to) and ignore anyone that makes you feel bad for asking. They must have choked on a wish bone.

 

[lbrykowski2011]

You guys are great and so helpful, thanks alot. I really love my turkey's also, it is gonna be real hard for me in the fall. I want to raise some of my own meat so I know what's in it, for me and my kids. But I feel that they will provide for me, so I want to do everything right and provide for them also. What should i watch for with the legs?

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
And keep in mind how big your oven is. A friend of mine let his BBB grow until it was 8-9 months old, and it was so big that it had to be cut in half to fit in the oven. They really can get enormous!

If you want them to last until the holidays, get them free ranging a bit for exercise and to eat grass, and give them 3-4 meals a day instead of letting them eat all day long, after they're 12 weeks old. Feed them 18-20% protein instead of the 24% protein that is recommended. The lower protein will slow their growth, and give their legs a chance to gain strength so that their weight gain doesn't outpace their leg's ability to support that weight. Keep the feeder up high enough that they can't lay down and eat out of it. The signs you'll see if they're having leg problems can be anything as subtle as a mild limp that doesn't go away in a reasonable amount of time, to stiff and short-strided steps, to laying down most of the time (because it hurts too much to walk around), to being unable to get up. Some will also get pressure wounds on the back of their hocks. Be sure to keep them on a softish surface at all times. Foam tiles work great over cement to avoid injuries..

 

[dheltzel]

My (favorite) pet marbled black hen. We have 3 of these hens, but this is the one that comes and sits by me whenever I'm around, purring seductively (at least I assume it would be seductive to a tom turkey)



This is our tom (Royal Palm). He was once picked on by the peas, so we separated him to grow a bit more. This time, the tables were turned and we had to separate him for the safety of the peas. He was clearly out for revenge!

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote: Hi lbrykowski2011,

Welcome to turkeys. They're amazing and wonderful birds.

I think one of the reasons that you're getting confused is because some of the recommendations you're reading are for heritage turkeys, and some are for the broad breasted turkeys, and maybe you don't realize how different these two groups are. The heritage turkeys are similar to wild turkeys in the care they need, but they are domestic birds. They need high protein diets when they're young, they fly, they roost up high, they grow slow, they breed and reproduce naturally, and they come in purebreds and often there are mixes of those purebreds. There are specific guidelines (the Standard of Perfection) for what the purebreds of many breeds are supposed to look like, although they don't all reach those goals. The hens of most breeds should reach 18-23 pounds by 1-2 years old, and the toms of most breeds should reach 26-33 pounds by 1-2 years old. When eaten, they are typically slaughtered around 8-10 months of age, but can live and reproduce for many, many years

The broad breasted birds, on the other hand, are not at all like that. They are a hybrid that has been specifically developed through generations of selective breeding to have one characteristic -- to gain weight as fast as possible, at the lowest feed cost, to create the biggest possible profit for factory farming. Nothing else is considered, as long as enough of them reach slaughter size to be profitable. When they're young they seem just like the heritage birds, and do all the same things. But they RAPIDLY grow to huge size, to the point that their size prevents them from doing almost everything that nature intended them to do, other than eat. They can't breed naturally (they are artificially inseminated in commercial agriculture), they quickly outgrow their ability to run and play and fly and roost and everything else, except eat. If not slaughtered by the time their legs become too uncomfortable to walk, they eventually park themselves in front of the feeder and just lay there eating, pooping, and gaining more weight. The toms will get over 50 lbs, and the hens over 40 lbs, sometimes substantially more, by the time they're a year old, although they usually don't live that long. That level of growth is a huge stress on their heart, and many die of heart failure as they get older (and sometimes while younger). Most are slaughtered at 4-5 months of age.

There are exceptions, mostly among those that are raised as free range birds. With enough exercise, limited food, and reasonable protein levels, the growth of BB birds can be slowed down enough that they can remain comfortable, and can be kept to a reasonable size for a later slaughter date, if needed.

They will be able to use the roost for a short time until they become so heavy that they can't balance on it anymore. Be sure that it is at least 3-4 inches wide, and very well braced to hold their upcoming weight. You can make it more comfortable for them by putting several layers of foam pipe insulation over the roost and wrapping that tight with several layers of vetwrap. They will likely enjoy 8-12 inches of "white shavings" (from non-aromatic woods, such as pine, fir, aspen, etc, but absolutely no cedar shavings, which are toxic to bird lungs) as a soft bed when they get too big to roost. Sometimes if it gets too hot, they like to stand in, or sleep in, a shallow tub of water to cool down or stay cool.

 

[Sydney Acres]

My (favorite) pet marbled black hen. We have 3 of these hens, but this is the one that comes and sits by me whenever I'm around, purring seductively (at least I assume it would be seductive to a tom turkey)



This is our tom (Royal Palm). He was once picked on by the peas, so we separated him to grow a bit more. This time, the tables were turned and we had to separate him for the safety of the peas. He was clearly out for revenge!

Nice pea pen/turkey flight pen. I'd love to see specifics on how big it is and how it was build/designed, basically all the important details needed if someone were to build one themselves. Is that sand on the floor? What do you use to scoop such a large area?

The royal palm is a pretty boy, but I agree that the marbled black hen is spectacular. Did she come from Porters?

 

[NewToFarming]

You guys are great and so helpful, thanks alot. I really love my turkey's also, it is gonna be real hard for me in the fall. I want to raise some of my own meat so I know what's in it, for me and my kids. But I feel that they will provide for me, so I want to do everything right and provide for them also. What should i watch for with the legs?

I agree! I am new to turkeys also and they have helped me with all my questions!

I also wanted to let everyone know that my Turkey Girl had a 100% hatch rate!!! I am very surprised and was not expecting all these babies and here I thought Turkey boy was not doing his job! LOL

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
Maybe they just wanted their privacy! Clearly they've figures it out. How many poults, and where are the cute pictures?